Friday, September 23, 2016

Disused churches are being donated to house homeless people

Religious orders and churches in Ireland are being asked to give
empty properties to the state to help ease Ireland's homelessness
crisis.

Simon Coveney, housing minister, has pleaded for empty presbyteries,
convents and other buildings to be offered to house homeless people,
the Belfast Telegraph reports.

Latest figures show there are now more than 900 homeless families including 2,000 children in Ireland.

Many millions of dollars worth of property has already been handed
over but Coveney appealed for all religious groups to consider whether
they had any spare buildings at all.

"If there are any religious congregations listening and you have
properties that are no longer in use or you are looking to vacate in the
coming months or years we are interested in talking to you. Please make
contact with us directly," said Coveney, speaking at the national
parliament or Oireachtas housing committee.

The plan itself states: "We will also work in partnership with
religious congregations to identify underused land and property that may
have potential to be brought forward for social housing and mixed-
tenure developments."

Coveney said a number of religious orders have already given
property, such as a home for nuns in Kerry that was handed over to a
housing agency.

Other buildings belonging to religious orders are also
in the process of being offered to house the homeless.

The government has pledged 47,000 social houses will be built in six
years.

There will also be thousands more in private schemes.

Currently
nearly seven per cent of houses in Ireland are social housing.